First Day of Workouts – Josh Rawitch

If the sight of Eric Gagne on the mound doesn’t excite Dodger fans, I’m not sure what will. Eric threw a bullpen session today, as did several other Dodgers, including Danys Baez and Derek Lowe. Also on the mound were some of the prospects you’ve all been hearing a lot about like Chad Billingsley and Justin Orenduff. No one is going full speed just yet, but the pop of the catcher’s mitt was a great sound here at Dodgertown. Hundreds of fans were gathered around the "old strings" area, where Dodger greats like Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Fernando Valenzuela and Orel Hershiser used to throw their ‘pens, too.

Nomar Garciaparra also worked out at first base, which was great to see. As you might have read in the L.A. Times, he came down to Dodger Stadium earlier this month to work out with Eddie Murray and get a jump on Spring Training. That really impressed a lot of people around here – just the fact that he wanted to see what it was like to play the position at Dodger Stadium, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to simulate game action at Chavez Ravine while he was at Dodgertown. In the photo, he and Grady Little got a chance to catch up out on one of the fields here after the drills were done.

A couple more guys arrived here today, including new shortstop Rafael Furcal. Not surprisingly, he was a little lost when I ran into him trying to find the clubhouse, as he’d never been here before as a member of the Dodgers. I was able to give him a ride on the golf cart and he got a chance to meet his new teammates and take his physical, which all players do upon their arrival.

As for the blog, the comments have been great so far, so keep them coming. We’ve had some good suggestions already and will continue to stay on top of your requests as best we can.

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Hi Josh,

It’s great hearing about what happens behind the scenes. It’s going to be a great year for the Dodgers. If you bleed Blue…it’s a very exciting time!! Keep up the great work and I look forward to reading more blogs.

Josh –
You mentioned Nomar “wanted to see what it was like to play the position at Dodger Stadium.” How much like DS are the ballparks in Dodgertown? Are the dimensions built the same so players get a feel for the foul lines and basepaths? I’ve always been curious about that…

Hate to say it, but, I’m torn between winning and losing tonight. I’d like Kersh to do well and pick up a win. However, it will probably be better for the team in the long run if we completely tank the next 10-12 games.

I was talking to Nellyjune about that at lunch today. The Giants would love us to win (the only time ever pulling for us) but, I really do want the guys to do well. I hate losing! However, if we win a few games, Ned might really do something stupid…..once again!

“Jamie McCourt continues to live a lifestyle that simply is not sustainable. She has seven homes which Frank pays for, and despite many requests, she has refused to sell or rent any of them. No one needs seven houses. Beyond covering her home expenses, Frank has been paying her $225,000 a month to support her unrestrained style of living. Today’s request by Frank simply reflects economic reality.”
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The statement from Matthew Hiltzik, a spokesman for Jamie McCourt:
“Frank’s hypocrisy and deceit know no bounds. It’s inexplicable that Frank has single-handedly destroyed the value of the Dodgers in the nearly two years since Jamie was last involved with the team. If Frank’s personal financial situation is really so dire, why doesn’t he just sell his half of the Dodger assets?”]
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According to the filing, McCourt has incurred legal bills of $9.38 million over the last 12 months, not including any bankruptcy-related work. Of that total, $3.44 million remains unpaid.

The U.S. Trustee overseeing the Los Angeles Dodgers bankruptcy urged the judge to reject the team’s request to borrow as much a $150 million from a JP Morgan Chase and Co. unit, saying the Dodgers didn’t properly disclose a loan fee.

Congratulation Braves on being the 5th teams in history with 10,000 wins great accomplishment but they also on there way to 10,000 losses. I hate the Yankees so much but how come they only have 9,723 wins ranked them 9th and they behind the Giants, Cubs, Dodgers, Cardinals, Braves, Reds, and Pirates.

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